


I Ain't The Way You Found Me

by zzegnas



Series: Misadventures of Decuyper House [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 07:07:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1419192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zzegnas/pseuds/zzegnas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam barely makes it through high school unscathed.  He ends up meeting an old friend when he gets to university, and makes a few more along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Ain't The Way You Found Me

**Author's Note:**

> Summary aside, this is a prequel to "[Whole Weekend Recovery](http://archiveofourown.org/works/922113)", which you don't really need to read first to understand everything. However, if you _have_ read it, then you'll notice little character nuances here and there.
> 
>  **Sidenote** : Please note that this story takes place years before all the boys meet Harry, so I do apologize if you were expecting to see him. And, yes, the story is still Americanized.
> 
> Title from "[You Make My Dreams](http://youtu.be/X_I4wtNPv5w)" by Hall and Oates.
> 
> (All remaining mistakes and inaccurate depictions are on me, as usual.)

The rumble of a lawnmower deafened the chatter in the air; the large clock sat above the school football stadium counted fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine—nine o’clock on the dot.  A bead of sweat trickled down Liam’s temple on a hot August morning, the perspiration already soaking into the collar of his shirt.

It’s Hell Week for the junior varsity football team and they’re about to get their asses kicked by the heat on their first day.  Liam recognized several of his sophomore classmates that are on the team, glad that he’ll have someone to talk to if he’s feeling left out.  The anxiety in his stomach had barely built up when Coach Higgins walked out with his a clipboard tucked under his arm and clapped his hands to get the team’s attention.  He warmed the team up with a few stretches, then herded them out to the track for their first two-mile run.

The football team were asked to share half the field, and two laps in, the soccer team walk out to their side, adjusting their socks and tucking their jerseys into their shorts.  Halfway around the track, Liam spots the captains, dressed in their blue jerseys while the rest of the team wore white.  One of the captains adjusted an elastic headband to hold back his long bowl cut, giving Liam a nod when he passed by.  Liam missed his step when it happened, continuing the rest of his laps with his head down in embarrassment.

Nearly forty minutes later, Liam finally finished his two-mile run, wheezing and out of breath as he ran to the drinks table, drinking as much ice cold water as his body could handle.  Once he had his fill, he joined the rest of his team on the field, lying flat on his back over the freshly cut grass.  Liam shielded his eyes with a hand, turning his head towards the soccer team practicing one of their plays.

"All right, ladies, on your feet!" Coach Higgins yelled after several more minutes. "I want twenty jumping jacks then twenty push ups! Get to it!"

Liam did as he was told with his eyes closed, attempting to breathe steadily throughout the first exercise. As soon as he was done he heard a _fwop!_ next to his head and fell to the ground. "Oh, that sucked," Liam groaned, rubbing his cheek. Coach immediately ran to Liam's side, helping him stand back up.

“Hey! Hey, over here!” It’s the captain with the headband waving his hand, running straight for Liam.  “Jesus, I didn't think you'd get knocked over, I'm so sorry,” he said, grabbing the ball by Liam’s feet.  “You okay?”

Liam nodded, adjusting his jaw.  “I’ll be all right. I think.”

“My name’s Louis, by the way.  Just yell it out in case you get hit again.”

“I’m Liam,” he said, shaking Louis' hand.

“Now that we got the social crap out of the way, are you done trying to kill my players, Tomlinson?” Coach Higgins said, shooing Louis away with his hands.

“Yeah yeah, I’m leaving,” Louis rolled his eyes.  “See ya, Liam!” and then he’s off, kicking the ball to his half of the field.

“See ya, Louis.”

—

After two more hours under the hot sun, Liam was more than ready to plunge himself into the freezing waters of the Antarctic.  But, in the world of high school sports, he figured a cold shower would suffice.

A sinking feeling hits Liam’s stomach having to shower with the rest of the team. But, thankfully, there were separate stalls to give him enough privacy to hide at least half his body.  He looked as normal as the rest of his teammates, but considering it was his first time having to actually look at more than just endless pairs of wrinkled boxers, he had to suck it up and hope nothing went wrong.

(And it doesn’t.   _Thank god_ , Liam thought to himself.)

Liam packed up his things as soon as he was finished, standing to attention when the soccer team walked in.  Louis walked to a locker just two doors from Liam, casually pulling his jersey over his head to reveal a tanned and toned body.  Liam immediately looked away, but he could still see Louis through the slits of his locker door, watching as he removed his headband and stripped to his boxer-briefs.

A loud snap broke Liam’s attention, looking around as he noticed a boy spinning a towel in his hands.  Liam jumped back when the boy charged down the aisle, snapping Louis right between his shoulder blades.

“What the fuck, Baranov!” Louis yelled, putting the boy into a playful headlock.  The two wrestled around as their teammates cheered them on, but Liam’s frozen where he stands, unable to maneuver around them.

“Tomlinson, Baranov!  Break it up!” Coach Higgins yelled from his office.  “How many times have I told you not to fight in here!”

“I win this round, loser!” Louis shouted as he pushed his friend away.

Liam accidentally slammed his locker shut, loud enough to bring the room to a standstill.  Louis turned around as Liam was spinning the dial on his lock to secure it, staring at him in fascination.

“Slam it louder, I don’t think anyone else heard it,” Louis joked.  Liam faked a smile as he walked away, and walked even faster when he caught a glimpse of Louis’ ample backside.

—

The next day, Liam learned directly from Louis he’s a junior and the co-captain of the varsity soccer team; although from Liam’s observations, Louis acted more along the lines of bossy rather than a leader on the field.  But unlike Louis’ demeanor on the field, he was always kind to Liam, casually greeting him in the locker room before and after practice, but never made the effort to have a conversation that lasted beyond two minutes.

By the time school year started, Liam would see Louis on the way to his Math and English classes, always met with a smile each time they passed in the halls.  Louis surrounded himself with friends, but he was hardly the definition of popular.  The same could be said for Liam, although he had zero clue his name was being tossed around with the in-crowd, especially in the mouths of the senior girls who slipped him embarrassing and, sometimes, incredibly obscene love notes into his bag when he wasn’t looking.

“Man, I’d kill to get a senior girl to look at me.  You’ve gotta at least hook up with one of ‘em, dude.  Just let ‘em fuckin’ ruin you,” Liam’s teammate, DeBello, said to him after practice one day.  “They were cheering for you on the sidelines and you totally ignored them!  What man in his right mind does that!”

“The cheerleading team were on the field too, it made no difference,” Liam rolled his eyes.  “Besides, I wouldn’t know what to do with a girl if I had the chance.  I’d rather choke on a pretzel.”

Liam slammed his door in frustration, surprised when he found Louis leaning against his own locker, wearing nothing but a towel.  His hair was slicked back and wet, his body shining from the remaining droplets of water from his shower.  A part of Louis’ towel slipped from his waist, but never managed to completely fall off, much to Liam’s fascination.

“You handled that quite well, Liam.  Congratulations.”  Louis turned his head, smiling.  Their teammates often addressed each other by their last names, and Liam liked that Louis would call him by his first. It felt personable. It felt _warm_.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Rumor has it even the freshmen girls want a piece of you.”

“Well, I don’t want them.  I don’t want to be with anyone.”

“I like that attitude,” Louis winked at him, and it was the first time Liam felt his stomach flip over for his friend.  “I better get dressed before I’m locked inside for taking too long again,” Louis pushed himself up, patting Liam on the arm.  “See you tomorrow.”

Liam hiked his bag over his shoulder, ready to leave, but immediately turned around when Louis called for him.  “You might want to take the back exit.  Got a couple of fangirls waiting for you in the foyer if you’d like to avoid the traffic jam.”  Liam grinned in thanks and Louis gave him another wink, well aware they were both red in the cheeks.

—

In his junior year, Liam made it to the varsity team, playing a major role as a running back.  He wore his blue and white letterman jacket with pride, sometimes wearing his jersey on the days his team had a home game.  Louis would wear his own jacket too, although Liam would be the first to admit Louis looked way better in his.  They gave their usual smiles and wished each other good luck before a game, but Liam always felt there could be more to their casual friendship.

Weeks before homecoming, Liam was suddenly pressured by his teammates into having a girlfriend, to prove his masculinity.  Liam felt he was masculine enough to begin with, that he didn’t need to be in a relationship to prove anything—he just wanted to survive the next two years unscathed.  But for all his resistance, Liam caved in anyway.

Iliana was her name, a fellow junior who wrote for the school newspaper.  Liam knew she had a crush on him and he asked her out, knowing she’d immediately say yes.  He put up with Iliana for as long as he could, indifferent to her fawning and robotically obeyed her every command of kissing, touching, and eventually, sex.

The anxiety nearly killed him when they finally did it; feeling nothing but uncomfortable in that half hour of his first sexual experience.  Iliana’s sighs of his name left him empty, hiding his confusion in the long strands of her hair as he was on top of her, wishing he could experience this with someone else—someone who matters.

After their first time, Iliana started demanding more and more sex from Liam.  He had no one to turn to and unsure of how to handle the situation, he simply followed her orders; starting in her bedroom, the backseat of his car, and even against her father’s tool shed when he wasn’t looking.

But while Liam fucked Iliana for no reason other than she was horny five days out of the week, he still felt the fire of confusion burning in the pit of his stomach.  His head told him this was the right thing to do as a teenaged boy, to fuck as he pleased; but his heart told him he shouldn’t be doing this at all, that he should have ran when he had the chance.

—

Just before Thanksgiving break, stories of Liam's sexual prowess somehow made its way to the locker room.  He went into shock as his teammates congratulated him, patting him on the back for a job well done.

“How does it feel to be a fucking stud, dude!  Does your girl scream your name from here to China every time she comes?” DeBello asked enthusiastically.

“Yeah, man.  All the way down,” Liam replied under his breath.  He rubbed his hands in his face from frustration, wanting to cry from the stupidity of it all.  There was no way he could live like this, to have people whisper about him while he was around.  They could have talked about his nose or how he tended to pout when he doesn’t mean to or even the big mop of waves attached to his head—but no, they chose his dick instead.

“How the hell did they find out?” he said out loud.

“Are you proud of yourself?”  Liam’s head shot up at the sound of Louis’ voice.  He sounds disappointed.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, really?  Because it just became _everybody’s_ business.”

“Big fuckin’ deal, Louis!” Liam screamed in his face.  “What the fuck do you want from me, an apology?”

“Oh, so now you want to fight?  Don't let my headband fool you, because I will straight up murder you, Payne!”  Louis’ voice echoed through the locker room, catching everyone’s attention.  It was the first time Louis ever called Liam by his surname, feeling like Louis had just punched him in the face.  “If you want to get mad, then be my guest, but don’t you dare take it out on me when your girlfriend told the entire fucking school, you dumb prick!”

Liam is taken aback, feeling faint.  “What do you mean, _she told the entire school_?”

“I’m the teacher’s aide in her Physics class and she practically broadcasted it for everyone to hear.  Would you like me to repeat it?” he asked in a low, sultry voice.  “Iliana’s got an eye for detail, she used such colorful language to describe her favorite body part.”  He began walking closer to Liam, their faces mere inches from each other, met with their teammates throwing cat calls and wolf whistles around them.

"Get ‘im, Tommo!" someone yelled not too far away.

“I know _everything_ , Payne.  How your thick, hard cock feels in her mouth as she sucks you off.  The way your hot tongue vibrates on her wet pussy when you eat her out.  And how all eight inches of you can make her come so hard her thighs quiver for two days straight.”  Louis was breathing hard through his nose, confusing Liam when he noticed Louis' eyes were welling up.  “You might have fucked her, but she’s been fucking you long before you put the tip in.”

The following weeks after their spat were met with ice cold glares from Louis.  Liam dreaded seeing him in the halls, only made worse when Louis completely ignored him in the locker room.  It killed Liam not being able to talk to Louis anymore, but he never felt like he had to apologize.  It was his decision to be with Iliana and no one else’s, even if he began to resent her.

More salacious stories began to spread about Liam, and he managed to find out from a classmate that Iliana had been telling anyone and _everyone_ about their sexual encounters.  Liam wanted all of this to stop, and he had to do something about it _fast_.  He felt nothing but indifference since he’d been with Iliana, now coupled with utter revulsion at the sound of her voice.  He wanted nothing more than to be rid of her.

Liam got the chance to speak to her before he went to football practice, too fed up with her demands and outrageous stories to deal with her any longer.  “I’m tired and I want nothing to do with you ever again,” was all Liam had to say.  An endless stream of Iliana’s tears and screams echoed through the foyer of the gymnasium, doing her best to change his mind, but Liam stood his ground until the very end.

The moment he walked onto the football field, he looked around and sighed in relief, knowing he was finally free of Iliana and free of the weight on his shoulders.

—

In the off season, Liam took up weight training, still led by Coach Higgins.  Within weeks, Liam watched in amazement at the appearance of his new and improved body.  His baby fat was burning off and his muscles were growing in size, so much that his biceps sometimes bulged through his shirts no matter where he turned.

Like most days, Liam was one set away from completing his workout, and set up the bench press totaling up to two-hundred and fifty pounds.  Once the weights were secured, Liam lied back on the flat bench, surprised when he found Louis hovering over him in a pair of tight blue shorts.  He hadn’t seen Louis since he joined the track team and now the sight of him was making his heart race in double time.

“You’re looking good,” Louis smiled.  Liam did a double take, happy that his friend was finally talking to him again. “How’s your post-break up workout going?  All cried out?”

“Oh yeah.  My tears turn to ash now,” Liam joked, hands at the ready on the barbell above him.  “Spot me?”

“I’m not very good at it.  I’d rather watch.”

Liam couldn’t keep the smirk off his face as he lowered the heavy barbell over his chest.  He put on a show for Louis, quickly lifting the weights exactly twenty times without fail, carefully setting everything back into place once he was finished.  Liam sat up and grabbed his towel nearby, breathing heavily as he wiped the sweat dripping from his face and under his loose t-shirt.

“Funny. Your friends over there sound like they’re jacking off and you're as quiet as a mouse,” Louis said, pointing in the direction of Liam’s classmates.  They’re all using the heavy dumbbells in front of the mirror, spreading their arms as they lifted them, grunting embarrassingly loud.

“I guess I just have good breath control,” Liam batted his eyes, making Louis laugh.

They stayed quiet for a while until Louis kicked Liam’s shoe, making him scoot over to take a seat.  Liam couldn’t help but notice Louis’ perfect profile, admiring the sharp angle of his jaw and the tip of his small bourgeois nose.  Louis licked his lips and Liam felt a hard thump in his chest just thinking about kissing him right then and there.

“Liam.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Oh!” he turned away, embarrassed, but it seemed to amuse Louis.

“Come to the track meet on Friday.  It’s my last one before I graduate and I might even win first place for once.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Well, I _have_ been here for four years, I’m not looking to be a super senior.”

“No, of course not, stupid me,” Liam blushed.  “It’s just going to be weird without you.”

Louis gave him a curious smile, biting his bottom lip with his razor-sharp teeth.  “My stunning senior portrait is up for viewing in the yearbook at your discretion.  But if it makes you feel better,” he paused, tilting Liam’s chin up with a finger, “I’ll miss you, too.”

—

Liam’s final Hell Week arrived faster than expected and this was going to be the last time he sweat his ass off under the hot August sun. Running two miles every day, doing endless exercises, the near fainting spells he and his teammates had almost every week—Liam was absolutely not going to miss it at all.

As he was getting dressed to go home, he stared at the locker two doors from him, the one that used to belong to Louis.  Liam missed the small chats he’d have with Louis before and after practice, how comfortable they felt just saying a few words, even if Liam hoped for a little more.  He felt a twinge in his chest remembering the last day of school, seeing Louis holding his blue cap and gown as he was leaving campus, too far away to catch up and give him a proper goodbye.  To tell Louis, “Thanks for being my friend,” out of genuine kindness.

The last Liam had heard, Louis was attending a community college a half hour away, and wondered how his friend was faring off in a world completely different to high school.  But Liam managed to keep his mind off of Louis throughout Hell Week, the first week of school, and eventually until the last game of the football season.

It was the Falcons versus the Bulldogs, the rival teams hoping to win the championship with only five seconds left on the clock, a tied score of 24–24.  The Falcons won nearly every game they’d played since the season started and the pressure was on every single one of Liam’s teammates to get this last one right.

Once the team broke their huddle, they lined up in place, breathing hard and staring intensely at their rivals.  The quarterback yelled out the snap count on seventy-six and the center hiked, giving Liam enough time to catch the football as it’s passed to him.  Liam ran as fast as he could, hearing himself inhaling and exhaling as he ran down the field.  From the corner of his eye, he could see the rival linebacker coming for him near the goal line, charging at him like a raging bull.  At the right second, Liam swiftly jumped over the linebacker, closing his eyes when his entire body tumbled to the ground and crashed into the goal post.

Silence hovered the stadium as his heart thumped out of his chest, waiting to hear–

_Touchdown, Falcons!_

“We won?  Holy shit, we won!” Liam screamed when he got to his feet.

Liam’s met with the uproarious cheer of his school and his teammates run to him, lifting him over their shoulders as he put his arms up in victory.  He high fived everyone that put their hands to him and laughed hysterically at Coach Higgins being doused with a cooler full of ice cold Gatorade.  Liam removed his helmet as soon as he was lowered to the ground and found a familiar face in the stands, clapping for him with his signature razor-sharp smile.

Liam went breathless seeing Louis, noting just how much hotter he looked in his tight black jeans and matching black sherpa jacket.  His hair was a little longer and he had some stubble around his jaw, his eyes almost wolf-like.  It was unlike his look a year before when Louis’ eyes were so wide and playful, now dark, and tempting Liam from across the field.

He could see Louis mouthing something to him— _good job, Liam!_ —and just as Liam gave him a wave, a tall brown-haired man walked up to Louis and put a hand to his cheek, making Louis turn red at his touch.  Liam felt his chest heave and his stomach sank into the third dimension of hell when the taller man kissed Louis on the lips.

“No,” his voice trembled, hands clenching into fists.  “Don’t do this, Louis.”

Tears welled up as he watched Louis wrap his arms around the stranger, kissing him the way Liam imagined all those months ago in the weight room.  Maybe this was how Louis felt when he found out about Liam and Iliana.  Maybe this was Liam’s comeuppance for hurting Louis.  This was payback for betrayal.

“Liam, come on!  Let’s hit the showers so we can party!” one of his teammates yelled, dragging him by the arm into the rowdy locker room.

Liam was the last to shower and the first to leave.  He ran to his car as fast as he could, crying his eyes out in the midst of half the school celebrating their victorious win.  His heart felt as though it’d been torn out of him, broken and weak, too late to realize Louis was all he wanted the entire time.  Too late to understand Louis was the only one who mattered.

—

Once the second semester began, Liam signed up as the teacher’s aide for Coach Higgins’ freshman PE class.  He did the most menial of tasks, taking attendance and keeping watch on the students, usually chatting with them as they stretched in the gymnasium before being herded to the school track for Coach's weekly two-mile run.

While he was tallying up the number of the students that completed their laps, a girl from a different class shrieked across the track, catching his attention.  Liam dropped everything, immediately rushing to her side as she cried hysterically.  “Something’s happened to her foot, she can’t walk,” one of her classmates told Liam.  With Coach Higgins nowhere to be found, Liam refused to let the girl lie on the astroturf in pain, and lifted her into his arms.  She was as light as a feather and her hands clung to his neck for support, crying all the way to the nurse’s office.

The girl introduced herself as Camellia, and Liam stayed by her side, holding her hand and keeping her calm and distracted from the pain until she received proper medical attention.  As she was carted away into an ambulance, Liam had an epiphany, realizing from that moment on he wouldn’t leave her side until she fully recovered.  Liam found out from the school nurse what hospital Camellia was taken to and visited her after school the next day, bringing along a small teddy bear as a get well present.

“You didn’t have to come here,” Camellia told him, hugging the soft plush bear.  “But I can’t thank you enough for saving me.”

“It was the right thing to do,” he said with a smile.  “And if it’s all right, I’d like to keep helping you until you’re on your feet again.”

“Why would you want to babysit me?” she asked in surprise.  “Wouldn’t you rather be with your friends?   And you're a senior, you guys have way better things to do.”

“This _is_ one of the better things to do,” Liam replied, and he could see the gratitude showing on her face.  “I want to help you.  Nothing would make me happier than to see you get better.”

With the permission of Camellia's doctor, Liam was allowed to escort her to her physical therapy sessions where he jokingly called himself her bodyguard.  There, he admired Camellia’s dedication to walk again, how her determination inspired him and made him realize just how much the entire rehabilitation process fascinates him.  As she regained her strength, Liam checked up on her on a weekly basis and encouraged her to keep going, and even took her out for ice cream as a reward when she no longer needed her crutches to walk.

Coach Higgins found out about Liam’s efforts when Camellia showed up to his weight training class, asking him to pass along a thank you note to her number one supporter.  Coach was taken aback by Liam’s grand gesture and suggested to Liam that if he’s truly interested, he ought to take up a career in physical therapy.  Liam assured him it’s what he wants for himself after high school, and Coach made the effort to gather information from the top universities that would give Liam every opportunity to prepare him for his future.

Among the four schools Liam contemplated applying to, Decuyper University was his first and only choice.  The school accepted his application as soon as he sent it—thanks to a lengthy letter of recommendation from Coach Higgins—and gave him a full scholarship for the four years he’ll be attending.  He’s undoubtedly grateful for Coach’s help and his parents are over the moon that he’s getting a free ride, although Liam’s mother was distraught over her son being the last to leave their home.

“I don’t leave until August, Mom, please don’t cry,” he told her as she wiped her tears.  “And you know I’ll be back on holidays and breaks.”

“I’m going to miss seeing you raid the refrigerator after school and making all your favorite foods.  Oh, who’s going to eat my eggplant lasagna now!” she sobbed into her hands.  Liam’s father comforted his tearful wife, and gave his son a reassuring nod that everything will be all right.

“Your mother’s proud of you, son.  We all are,” his father said.  “You’ll knock ‘em dead at Decuyper.”

—

The final weeks of school were a total blur to Liam.  Before he could even stop to collect himself, he was already looking into the late afternoon sun, met with a sea of blue mortar boards flying in the air and the cheers of his graduating class.  Liam fought through the crowd of people he’ll never see again, took photos with friends he hoped to keep in touch with, and thanked the teachers who made his last year of high school bearable.  Especially Coach Higgins.

Liam charged at him, crying with joy as he gave his favorite teacher bear hug.  Coach tried to keep a cool and collected front, only to shed a few tears when he congratulated Liam.

“I’ll never forget you, Coach.  Thank you for everything.”

“Let me tell you something my mother told me: it’s all downhill from here!” he joked, giving Liam one last hug.  “I am so _so_ proud of you, Liam.  You’ve made it this far and now it’s all in your hands.  Give ‘em hell, kid.”

—

Hell could hardly describe Liam’s first month at Decuyper University.

He felt nothing but elation the moment he stepped foot on campus, soon replaced with homesickness when he realized just how much he was missing his mother’s cooking.  His parents called every other day to check on him, and he lied, telling them how happy he was to be there despite the truth.  All he wanted was to sleep in his own bed and wake up to the smell of his mother’s freshly baked muffins in the morning.

But he couldn’t quit now.  Not after the lengths Coach Higgins had gone through to see him succeed.

Josh, Liam’s roommate, seemed relatively happy since they’d met.  But it wasn’t until late one night while they were studying, when Josh revealed just how homesick he really was.  He began crying and Liam held him, holding on until Josh’s eyes were nearly bloodshot red.  It comforted Liam to know he wasn’t alone in this.

“I’m so jealous of you, Liam.  At least you can take the train to go home and see your parents,” he said quietly.  “If mine weren’t all the way in Texas and I’d visit them in a heartbeat.”

Slowly but surely, Josh and Liam helped each other to cope with their anxiety, talking out their frustrations and participating in school activities that kept their minds off their home lives.  By the time finals rolled around, they were more than prepared to go home for the holidays, ready to face their families after months away.

After his last exam, Liam packed up his luggage, checking his backpack for his laptop, a book to read, and his train ticket home.  Just as he set everything aside, Josh happily bounded into the room, handing Liam a small paper bag.

“I know we never discussed gifts, but I saw this and thought of you,” Josh said with a smile.  “It’s for all the times I cried like a baby on your shoulder.”

Liam was taken by surprise, opening the bag to reveal a black beanie with the Batman logo knitted into its design.  “Dude, Batman is my favorite!” he laughed, immediately putting it over his head.

“I figured, considering how many Batman shirts you wear,” Josh added sarcastically.

“Josh, you didn’t have to do this, but thank you so much.”  They gave each a hug, holding on longer than expected.  Liam’s grateful to have a friend like Josh, someone he can call his brother.  “I’ll get you something when we come back from break, I promise.”

“I’m counting on it.  That thing cost me twenty dollars, man!”

Josh answered the door when he heard a knock, and Liam froze at the sound of a familiar voice—a light, smoky voice he hasn’t heard since high school.

“Hey, have you seen Niall?  I’ve been looking everywhere for him,” the voice said.  Unable to run out of the room, Liam hid in the small corner between the closet and his desk, hoping whoever’s at the door isn’t who he thinks it could be.

“He bailed after our English final three hours ago.”

“Fuck, are you serious?”

“Yeah, he said something about—wait, he’s right there!  Niall, get over here!”

“Dude, I was waiting for you outside, where the hell have you been!” another voice yelled down the hallway.

Liam slid down the wall as Josh said goodbye to them, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as the door clicked shut.

“Hey, you all right?” Josh asked in concern.  “You look like you’re going to throw up.”

Liam waved it off, rising to his feet and sat at the foot of his bed.  “Who was that guy you were talking to right now?”

“Which one?”

“The one that knocked on the door.”

“Oh,” Josh blinked.  “I don’t actually know his name, but he sits near me in my Humanities class.  He’s a cool guy, though—really chatty.  Do you know him?”

“That’s why I asked.  He, um,” Liam bit the inside of his cheek, hesitant.  He hadn’t thought about Louis in a long time and saying his name would seem like a foreign language.  “I thought it was someone I knew.”

—

The holidays are over before Liam could even enjoy his mom’s famous pecan pie.  Just four days into the new year, he’s already back at school, walking to his last class of the day.  The room was completely empty when he opened the door, double checking his schedule to make sure he was in the right place.

“This is Storytelling if you’re looking for it!” a voice said from inside.  Liam looked up, finding a bearded professor leaning over the large computer screen at the front of the room.

“Are you Professor Winston?”

“Sure am!  Sit anywhere you’d like, just as long as you can see the board.”

Liam scanned the room full of black top tables, immediately claiming his seat in the second row.  Professor Winston tinkered around with the computer, mumbling to himself about attendance and uploading his syllabus onto the school server.

The class began to fill up with the rest of the students as Liam set up his laptop, plugging in its battery and hooking the ethernet cable to the outlet at the edge of the desk.  Professor Winston brought down a screen from the ceiling and began fiddling with the lights, much to everyone’s annoyance.

“Hold on, I’ve almost got it,” he said, and the room went pitch black.  “Oh, crap.  It’s okay, I can fix it!”  The lights are back on almost immediately, nearly blinding everyone.  Liam covered his eyes with his hand, blinking rapidly as he came back to his senses.

“Hey, is this seat taken?” someone asked Liam.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, _is this seat taken_?” the person asked a little louder.

Liam looked up and did a triple take.  His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, the entire room fading into a blur when he recognized who was standing in front of him.  A rush of emotions hit Liam with impressive force, his heart ready to leap out of his chest from excitement alone.

“ _Louis?_ ”

“Oh, so you _do_ remember me!” he said with a smile.

“I don’t–I can’t–is it?” Liam breathlessly asked, and Louis laughed, nodding his head.  “Oh my god!” Liam jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Louis, holding him tight.  “Holy shit, I can’t believe it’s you!”

“ _You_ can’t believe it’s me?   _I_ can’t believe it’s you!” Louis exclaimed, ruffling Liam's messy waves when they let go.  “I had no idea you were here, this is great!”

Liam couldn't help but stutter the entire time, still dumbfounded that Louis was in front of him.  His face was clean shaven and Liam could see his eyes, still dark, still tempting, but still every bit of playful like he remembered.  Unable to say anything else, Liam hugged Louis again, making him squeal with laughter when Liam lifted him off the ground.

“All right, boys, that’s enough.  Take your seats we can start,” Professor Winston told them.

Throughout the time they’re in class, Liam and Louis did nothing but steal glances at each other.  They would smile when they met each other’s gaze, blushing as they went back to taking notes on their laptops.  Professor Winston ended class half an hour early on the grounds that it was the first day, and assigned an easy few chapters to read as homework.

Louis was quick to pack up his things and patiently waited for Liam to finish.  “Got any classes after this?” he asked, a little anxious.

Liam shook his head.  “My last one of the day.  What about you?”

“It’s my last one, too.  Do you wanna hang out?”

“Yeah, I’d love to!” Liam immediately answered.

“Come on,” Louis grabbed Liam’s hand, running out of the room, “we have loads catching up to do!”

—

The two end up having lunch in the school cafeteria, talking for nearly three hours, telling each other their high school stories before they headed to Liam’s room in Whitforde Hall.  Liam was surprised to know Louis lived on the floor above him, and Louis stopped in his tracks when he recognized the number on Liam’s door.

“Hold on, isn’t this Josh’s room?” Louis asked, confused.

“ _Yeah_ ,” Liam drew out the the last syllable, “but it’s my room, too.”

“You’ve been roommates with him this entire time!” Louis said in surprise.  “He told me he was rooming with someone named Liam, but–” Louis paused, looking up with wide eyes, “I didn’t think it would be you.”

The door opened before Liam could say anything, met with the confused expression of Josh holding onto his backpack.  He suspiciously looked his friends up and down, then smirked when he noticed Liam shifting his feet.

“So, uh, are you two going inside?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“ _Josh!_ ” Liam gritted through his teeth.

“Oh yeah,” Louis winked, “we’re gonna rock the entire building.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Josh laughed, high-fiving Louis.  “I’m heading to class,” he turned to Liam, “but I won’t be back ‘til later, though.  The cute girl from my Statistics class asked me to be her study buddy the other day, but I’m _pretty sure_ she meant something else.”  Josh looked around, whispering, “She slipped a couple of condoms into my pocket.”

"All right, Josh!" Louis exclaimed, patting him on the back.  "Go get her, tiger."

“When I come back, I'll be a new man," Josh grinned, giving the two friends a wave before he left.

Louis stepped into the room as soon as Liam opened it for him, admiring its cleanliness and immediately sat on Liam's bed.  Liam set his things down by his desk, quickly taking off his jacket and shoes. He's surprised when he found Louis crawling under his thick comforter patterned with polka dots, burrowing himself into the bed.

“Comfortable enough?” Liam joked.

“Almost,” Louis smiled, poking his head out.  “Come lie with me.”  Liam froze, unsure of what he’d just heard.  “We can’t snuggle if you’re just going to stand there,” he said, lifting the comforter.

“Well, um, all right,” Liam rubbed the back of his neck.  He lowered himself to sit at the edge of the bed, scooting backwards into the open space in front of Louis.

“I said _lie_ with me, not sit there like a rock,” Louis flatly remarked.

Just like with Iliana, Liam obeyed the command, adjusting himself to lie down.  He faced away from Louis, nervous to look at the one person he never thought he’d see again; the one that’s in his bed as if this were the first step to the path of reconnecting.

“Face me, Liam.”  He does as he’s told, shifting his weight around until he was finally face to face with Louis.  “I’m really glad to see you.  You were the only one I never said goodbye to before I left,” Louis whispered, moving the waves of hair from Liam’s forehead.  His fingers were warm and gentle to the touch, and it was doing nothing but making Liam weak.

“I thought you were at community college this whole time, how–”

“Did I end up here?” Louis finished his sentence, softly chuckling.  “I didn’t actually go.  My guidance counselor refused to listen when I told her I wasn’t ready for more schooling so soon after graduation,” he rolled his eyes, annoyed, “so I made something up.”

“Everyone lied to their counselors, it was the natural thing to do.”

“It got her off my back,” Louis smiled.  “Believe it or not, I spent the entire year working as a receptionist for a tanning salon.  I made a decent paycheck out of people turning themselves into leather handbags.” Liam snorted out loud, covering his mouth when Louis stuck his tongue out at him.

“So why did you choose this school over the others?”

“It was a chance to get out of our town, I guess.  I got so bored of our little cookie cutter neighborhood and seeing the same faces for so long, er–except yours, of course," Louis winked, making Liam blush, "I just wanted something new and exciting.  Is that why you’re out here, too?”

“I wasn't exactly bored, but this school was the only place that offers the best physical therapy program, although I’m the lowest of the low right now.  I’ve got to take all this general education stuff like Storytelling before I take my core classes.”

“Professor Winston’s not that bad!” Louis laughed, “But I get what you mean.  I would have enrolled earlier, but the tuition is so much and financial aid weren’t a lot of help considering my parents’ income.  A friend suggested I apply for a bunch of scholarships and I managed to win one that would support me for at least two years, _plus_ I got this huge grant that’ll pay off everything else!”

“Louis, that’s awesome!  I got a free ride with a scholarship too, we’re lucky we managed to get them.  We’re lucky we met again, here, of all places.”

“Is it really luck,” Louis mumbled, closing his eyes, “or just faith?”

“Fate, maybe.”

“That’s a wild idea.  But I believe you.”

—

Liam doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he does remember waking up a while later, still snuggled up against Louis.  Their faces were inches apart, and Liam couldn't help but listen to Louis softly breathing onto the thick pillow under his head.  Louis' eyes soon fluttered open, the flashes of blue nearly stopping Liam’s heart.

"Hey," Liam lazily said, met with Louis' equally restless smile.

“How long have we been sleeping?” Louis yawned, stretching his limbs.

“Two hours, I think.  Sorry if I snored, I do that sometimes.”

“You didn’t,” Louis laughed.  “I should probably get back to my room, though.  I forgot I have some homework to do for my morning class tomorrow.”

Liam shook his head with a smile, helping Louis out of his bed, and followed him to his room on the floor above.  They stayed quiet the entire time, continuing their game of stolen glances until they reached Louis’ door.

It had only been a few hours since they met again, and Liam realized the feelings he had for Louis never went away; they’d taken a back seat, and now they were coming back in full force with no way to stop them.  All the times they chatted in the locker room, the times they smiled in the hallways, and even waking up with Louis in bed just a few minutes ago overwhelms Liam, wondering if it’s enough to say, “I’ve missed you.”

“What did you say?” Louis spun around, surprised.

“I didn’t, I wasn’t–” Liam smacked himself in the forehead.  He looked at a breathless Louis, eager for Liam to repeat what he absentmindedly blurted out.  “I said," Liam swallowed, a little nervous, "I've missed you, Louis.  I missed seeing _you_.”

Louis let out a soft laugh and pulled Liam into a hug.  “I missed you, too.  Today was such a surprise, I really hope we’ll see more of each other.”

“I’ll be hard to get rid of,” Liam joked.

“I’ve always liked a challenge,” Louis winked, putting a hand to Liam’s cheek.

There’s a moment of hesitation between them and Liam took a deep breath, bravely stepping forward and kissing Louis for the first time.  Their lips were pressed together for a while until they pulled away, startled by a group of students shouting down the hall.  Liam’s entire body was vibrating from those last few seconds, desperate to kiss Louis again.

Louis cleared his throat and unlocked his door, turning around to say, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since high school,” he smirked, walking backwards into his room.  “I’m glad we can do it now.”

Liam lit up, smiling stupidly at Louis.  “So am I.”

—

After that first day, Liam and Louis spent all their time together, hanging out in each other’s rooms, snuggling in bed, and frequently left campus to hang out in the shopping center not too far away when they had the chance.  They didn’t kiss as often as Liam thought they would, but when it did happen, they were left with the sorest of lips for days.

Burnt out on reading and endless note-taking one night, the two decided to go out for dinner, and Louis bumped into two of his friends: a small blond holding giant rolls of papers in his arms that nearly dwarfed his size, and an anxious brunette eating an impressive amount of jelly beans.  The blond flashed his braces at Liam and shook his hand, introducing himself as Niall.

“This one eating candy is Zayn,” Louis nudged him with an elbow.  “Best not to ask him to share his food.”

“I know how!  I just don’t want to,” Zayn quipped, eating even more.  Liam noticed Zayn looked as if he needed to use to the bathroom, and asked him just that.

“I went to the john a couple of minutes ago, thanks,” Zayn smiled, biting into a pink jelly bean.  He began talking rapidly to all three of them, some of it making sense and the rest sounding like complete gibberish.  “Lots of people think I’m pretending to be really hyperactive and I don’t know why but it’s got nothing to do with eating lots of sugar I’m actually immune to it but I drink a lot of water but listen–”  Zayn stopped to suck in a deep breath of air, exhaling loudly before he went back to normal.  “Do you ever get explosive diarrhea?”

“Don’t answer that,” Niall quickly cut in.

“Hey, so what are these giant things for?” Liam asked, curious about the papers.

“Blueprints to the Technology building!  I need to find out where the server rooms are located I can reroute the internet connection to go faster in my room.  And if anyone asks,” Niall lowered his voice, “it’s a homework assignment.”

“Of course.  Only the smartest kid in school could come up with a plan like that,” Louis joked.

“You’re not still saying that, are you, Louis?  Being the smartest just means I have a higher GPA,” Niall rolled his eyes.

“Honestly, Niall, you’re being too modest.  You’re the reason why the school’s gotten so popular!”

“But at what price?  Those fuckers at housing have me and Zayn living in the worst floor of MacDiarmid Hall!”  Niall turned to Liam, pleading, “Don’t ever live there, Liam, I’m serious.  There is just too much asskissing in that place for anyone to take it seriously.  Not to mention my bedsheets always smell like weed no matter how much I wash them.”

“Can’t you guys petition to move to a different hall?” Liam asked.  “Or at least a different floor?”

"Our RA hates us," Zayn mumbled through his jelly beans, "but he's mostly just mad ‘cause Niall refused to tutor him for a Philosophy class last semester.  Not to mention he's a certified zebra dick."

“We’ve been crashing with my friend Sean in Hugo Hall, but I think someone ratted us out about it,” Niall shook his head, annoyed.  “Now, Decuyper House?   _That_ is the place to be—three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace!  I don’t understand how senior honors students get to live there and I don’t; I have the highest test scores out of all of them combined!”

“Maybe if you kick and scream loud enough housing will let you move in,” Liam jokingly told him.

“Oh my god,” Niall’s face lit up, sporting the widest grin.  “Liam, you just gave me the most brilliant idea!”  Niall thanked him and ran off with Zayn in a hurry, leaving a confused Liam to look at Louis for an explanation.

“He’s like that.  Always full of ideas that only make sense to him,” Louis said, amused.

“Is he really the smartest student, though?”

“Oh yeah, he’s like, _crazy_ smart and his brain works really fast, too.  I saw him reading a bunch of books on nuclear astrophysics one day and the next, he was practically an expert!  Amazing how that works out for him.”

—

Barely twelve hours after meeting Niall and Zayn, Liam and Louis began to see more of them on campus and in their hall, usually showing up to their doors asking to sleep in their rooms for the night.  Liam was more than amazed when he’d hang out with Niall before class, noting how many thick textbooks he’d read on a daily basis, sometimes eating a box full of crispy french fries at the same time.

Unfortunately, when it came to Zayn, Liam only ever saw him in the bathroom; no matter which urinal he used on any part of campus, Zayn would find him, asking questions or telling him the most irrelevant of facts.

“I need an alarm when Zayn is around,” Liam told Niall one day.  “Like, some sort of sensor that he’s going to bust the door down while I take a shit.”

Niall burst out laughing, his mouth angled wide enough to fully show off his braces.  “Don’t worry about it, he does it to me too.  I’ll be taking a shower and he’ll just whip open the curtains to talk to me.  He doesn’t even care that I’m totally naked, once he starts he doesn’t stop.”

“I hate to ask, but, is he taking any medication?”

“All kinds—technically none of our business, though.  He can function as well as the rest of us.”

“Oh, right.  My bad.”

“By the way, that brilliant idea you gave me?  I think it’s totally going to work!”

“Can I ask what it is?”

“I don’t want to jinx it, but let’s just say if things go my way?  There’s going to be a new sheriff in Decuyper House.”

—

One night before midterms, Louis showed up at Liam’s door, insisting they head to the beach to hang out.  It was only a half hour away and Louis got there in twenty, driving faster than Liam would like to experience in a lifetime.  Louis parked his Corolla in the empty parking lot, taking off their shoes and running towards the ocean with Liam chasing after Louis.

They messed around in the water, shouting and laughing as loudly as they liked with no one there to tell them otherwise.  Liam eventually grew tired and lied down, smiling when Louis joined him.  Liam could feel Louis’ hand digging into the sand, his body sending intermittent shocks whenever he felt Louis’ fingers touch his own.

“I like this,” Louis said, facing Liam, “everything’s so much calmer at night.  We should definitely come back.”

Liam let out a pleased sigh.  “Just you, me, and the ocean.”

Louis moved closer to Liam, resting his head over Liam’s chest.  Lying with Louis seemed like a dream, feeling cozy and warm with Louis’ arm draped around his waist.

“Louis?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you.”

“What?” Louis lifted his head, “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s just, I remembered the time you confronted me in the locker room and I screamed at you.”

“Liam, that was a long time ago!  Forget about it.”

“I know I should,” Liam sighed.  “You were trying to reason with me, but I was a dick about it, and I honestly thought you were going to cry.”

“I _did_ cry, actually. I was pretty heated about your girlfriend telling all those stories,” Louis admitted.  “It was honestly the last thing I needed to hear before practice and I just couldn't take it anymore.”

Liam propped himself up with an elbow, getting a better look at Louis.  “Do you remember the football game last year?  When I made the touchdown?”

“Of course!  I’d never screamed so loud in my life when I saw you launch yourself like a rocket into the goal line.  Probably one of the greatest moments in sports I’ve ever witnessed!”

Liam felt himself blush, biting his lip as he laughed.  “I was so surprised when I saw you in the stands, I was going to run over to say hi, but–”

“You saw someone kiss me, right?” Louis said quietly, then shook his head.

“Who was he?”

“He was my—” Louis took a deep breath, looking ashamed.  “He was, to put it nicely, _an older gentleman_.  I don’t remember much about our arrangement, but I didn’t stay with him for very long.  And really, it doesn’t matter anymore.  Please don’t worry about it.”

Liam reasoned with himself, realizing if Louis was willing to forgive him about the past, then he should do the same for him.  Louis made the effort for the both of them to be closer, and that was all Liam had wanted from Louis since he was a lowly fifteen year old on the junior varsity football team.  Just to be a little more than friends.

“I guess we just didn’t know what we were doing.”

“No one ever said we’d make the best decisions.  You don’t always get the do-over, but at least you can learn from your mistakes to make things right.”

“Do you wish you could turn back time to fix those mistakes?”

“What for?  We’re not in high school anymore, Liam, I wouldn’t want either of us to experience that again.”

“I know we’re not, but, if we _did_ go back, if I’d just listened to myself instead of everyone else around me—I would have chosen you.”

Liam's surprised when Louis surged forward, their lips lingering on each other for a while.  Louis propped himself up and climbed on top of Liam to straddle his waist, leaning down to give him a deeper kiss.  Liam ran his fingers through Louis’s hair, his other hand pressed against the small of Louis’s back, slowly sliding it downwards over the ample backside Liam remembered in his dreams.  He gave Louis’ ass a good squeeze, making Louis squeal into his mouth, and pulled away to laugh when Liam did it again.

“Been waiting since sophomore year to do that,” Liam teased, his hands cupping Louis' ass.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do a lot of things to you.”

“Oh yeah?  Like what?”

“Well,” Louis licked his lips, looking around in suspicion.  He sat up and put a hand behind his back, surprising Liam when he started palming at his crotch.  Liam trembled under Louis’ touch, his hands holding onto Louis’ thighs for support the longer he kept going.  Liam let out a whine when Louis climbed off of him, holding his breath as Louis settled between his legs.  He could feel Louis’ hands under his hoodie, the cold knuckles brushing against his stomach when Louis unbuttoned the top of his jeans, cursing under his breath at the sight of Louis tugging the zipper down with his teeth, those wolf-like eyes looking straight at him.

“Oh, fuck,” Liam breathed out, tipping his head back.  Louis tugged at the band of Liam’s underwear, his legs twitching when he felt Louis’ mouth on him.  The touch of Louis’ cold fingertips felt like shocks against Liam’s hips, doing his best to stay grounded the more he felt Louis bob his head up and down.  Liam was losing control of his senses, watching the stars above blurring into faded dots as he felt Louis’ hands around him, twisting and turning along with his warm tongue.

Liam couldn't stop himself from repeating Louis’ name, threading his fingers into Louis’ hair and holding it tight. Louis' grip tightened and Liam's toes curled into the sand, letting out a strained moan when he finally came.  Coming down from his high, all Liam could hear was the ocean, its waves softly crashing into the land as Louis zipped him back up and crawled over him, lightly kissing him on the lips.

“Looks like that girlfriend of yours was right on the mark about your dick and more,” Louis snickered.

“She could never do what you just did,” Liam breathed out, still dazed.  “Or maybe she could and I just didn’t have the energy to enjoy it.”

Louis burst out laughing and Liam rolled him over, looking at him in wonder before they kissed again.  “Be with me, Louis,” Liam whispered, “please be with me.  I didn’t know how much I wanted to be with you back then, but I know it’s the only thing I want now.”

“You’re about three years late,” Louis teased, obviously blushing.  “This changes everything, Liam.  And I might be a handful if I don’t get my way.”

“That’s okay,” Liam smiled, a little bashful, “because I think I know exactly what I’ll do to you when you get out of hand.”  Liam pinched the back of Louis’ thigh, making him yelp and buck his hips, and laid a hard smack on Louis’ ass at the right second, gripping it hard enough for Louis to moan out loud.

“Liam, you tease!” Louis gasped, clearly turned on.  “I am going to have so much fun ruining you.”

—

Liam is excited when Louis applies to work in the school cafeteria, training with the school chef to make desserts and gourmet meals on the menu.  Louis often brought back the most delicious foods for Liam to eat, and even set up a candlelit dinner after hours in the cafeteria, just so Liam could try his chicken marsala dish.  It was one of the sweetest things Louis had ever done, making Liam feel like a prince when they kissed at the end of the night.

A week before finals, Louis dragged Liam out of his room, and snuck into the school’s kitchen during an exclusive school banquet.  Liam’s heart was pounding out of his chest, knowing they weren’t supposed to be there, but managed to tiptoe past security with ease when no one was looking.

“Are you sure we won’t get in trouble?”

“No way!  This is the last place anybody would look for a break-in,” Louis whispered, clawing his way through the dimly lit kitchen.  Louis’ fingers tapped on a metal refrigerator door and he gripped its handle, letting out a soft grunt when he pulled it open.  “Ah, jackpot!”

“Hurry up,” Liam whined, “we’ll get caught!”

“I told you a million times, we won’t!”  Louis sifted through the refrigerator, moving aside several bowls until he found what he was looking for.  “So you thought you could hide from me, did you?” he growled, dragging a small tray forward.  The glasses sitting on the tray began to rattle, echoing loudly throughout the room.

“I’m freaking out, just take what you need and so we can go.”

“That’s enough,” Louis spun around and shut the refrigerator door with his foot, holding up a small glass.  “I made this earlier,” he whispered, “it’s a yogurt parfait—pretty boring stuff, but I like it, y’know?  I added my own touch and put in some strawberries, blueberries, and–” Louis paused, swiping a generous amount of yogurt onto his index finger, “a little honey for sweetness.”

Louis lifted his finger towards Liam’s mouth, beckoning him to lick it off.  Liam smirked and licked the small yogurt peak, making Louis shiver when he sucked off the rest.  “D-Do you, um,” Louis breathed out, staring at Liam’s lips, “d’you want more?”  Liam couldn’t help but laugh, surprised to see Louis so flustered for once.  But Liam nodded anyway and Louis swiped on more yogurt using two fingers.  He slowly inserted them into Liam’s mouth, feeling hot when Liam stared at Louis, his lips sliding up and down the cold and smooth length of Louis’ fingers.  Liam let his lips smack when he finished, his eyes still focused on Louis when he kissed his fingertips.

“Is that it or are you saving the rest for yourself?” Liam asked, wiping his mouth.

“No.  No more teasing,” Louis grabbed the back of Liam’s head, roughly kissing him.  Liam moved Louis away from the door to a counter, his fingers fumbling to unbutton Louis’ jeans.  Louis wrapped his arms around Liam’s shoulders to hold himself up, his left hand still holding on to the parfait.  As soon as Liam unzipped Louis’ jeans, his hand slid under the elastic band of Louis’ boxer-briefs, making him gasp in surprise.

“Liam, you would!” Louis growled, teeth bared and hungry.

Liam worked his hand around Louis, sucking on the crook of his neck as Louis struggled to stay on his feet, holding onto Liam’s neck for dear life.  Liam shut his eyes the faster Louis told him to go, letting out little laughs as he listened to Louis moan in his ear.  Louis’ body began to shake and Liam kept going until Louis let out a guttural groan, letting the glass slip from his hand and shatter all over the floor when he came.

"Look what you made me do," Louis breathlessly told Liam, glassy-eyed and trembling.

Liam slowly removed his hand from Louis' cock, showing him the mess of come all over his palm.  "What do you want me to do about it?" he bravely asked, grinning as he put his hand to his mouth.  Louis went speechless watching Liam lick his entire hand clean, his mouth gaping as Liam swallowed every last drop of him without hesitation.

“You’ve been quite adventurous tonight,” Louis cleared his throat, zipping himself up.

"Nice plan, though, having me get you off where you work."

“Ah, but it wasn’t the plan at all!  I really did want you to try my dessert,” Louis said earnestly, turning a little shy.  He stepped aside to open the refrigerator again and grabbed two more of his parfaits, telling Liam, “Let’s finish these in your room.  And don’t you dare make me drop them again!”

—

Liam and Louis finish their final exams before the last day of the semester. They packed their things as soon as possible, excited that they'll be going home with each other.  While Liam was organizing his shirts, his parents called to check on him, and realized he’d yet to tell them about Louis.  It went well for the most part, until Liam’s mother burst into tears, making Louis jump to his feet from the sheer volume of her voice.  Liam quickly said goodbye to her, nervously looking at a shocked Louis.

“What did you say!” Louis said, holding a hand to his chest.

“I just, I told her we’re together and that I wouldn’t be taking the train home?”

“Oh my god,” Louis laughed, flopping backwards onto Josh’s empty bed, who left for home the day before.  “I nearly had a heart attack, she was so loud!”

“She cries at the smallest things, she even cried when I told her I’d run out of laundry detergent.”

Louis stood up and cornered Liam against his desk, whispering, “Imagine what’ll happen when I tell her _all_ the naughty things I’ve done to you.”

Liam let out a seductive laugh, lightly licking along Louis’ lips when they kissed.  “You’ll send her to an early grave!  I don’t think that’s the first impression I’d like you to give to my parents.”

“Oh, they’ll love me, Liam.  They’ll fall for my charms just like you did.”

They walked through the school soon after, surprised at the emptiness of their campus.  Louis brushed his hand against Liam’s, linking their fingers together before Liam gave Louis a kiss on the cheek.  It was nice to have that moment for themselves without hundreds of other students crashing into them.

Louis began talking about the things they could do together during their summer break, while the only thing that ran through Liam’s mind was being fucked by Louis in his childhood bedroom, making the action figures on his headboard fall over and rumpling up the Batman bedsheets he’s had since he was thirteen.  Liam quietly snickered at the thought, and put it at the top of his summer to-do list.

The couple passed their school’s large indoor swimming pool, the glass walls vibrating with loud music.  Curious, they peeked into the windows and spotted Niall and Zayn floating on separate inflatable donut rings with a floating tray of neon pink drinks.  Liam and Louis look at each other in confusion before they looked back at their friends, and made their way towards to the pool’s entrance.

Liam was nearly knocked back as soon as he opened the door.  He was greeted by the music of Poison, the volume so high he and Louis can barely shout loud enough to get Niall’s attention.  Zayn was the first to notice the couple, then kicked at Niall’s inflatable donut, making him spin around to face them.  Niall gave them a wave and dug into his donut for a remote, pointing it at a small stereo nearby to pause the music.

“Hey, guys!  Welcome to my exclusive pool party!  Have a drink!”  Niall pointed to a pitcher full of the neon pink drink at the edge of the pool, already half empty.

“I don’t drink things that look like my highlighters,” Liam tilted his head, confused.

“Don’t be silly, Liam, it’s Kool-Aid!” Zayn lifted his plastic goblet, taking a sip with an equally bright yellow straw.  “Well, not really.  I bought it off this girl in exchange for my Ritalin and–”

“We got it, Zayn,” Louis cut in, holding up his hand.  “Are you guys allowed to be in here?”

“Of course we are!  I’m friends with the swim coach, he said I can stay here until the pool cleaners get here at five.”  Niall flicked his hands in the water, spinning gracefully in his inflatable donut.  “This is seriously the best day of my life!  I can’t believe I’m the head of Decuyper House!”

Liam and Louis gasp in unison.  “You’re kidding!”

“Nope!  It’s mine, all mine!” he cackled, kicking his feet around.  “Oh, but Liam!” Niall took off his sunglasses, sitting them on his head, “I never did get a chance to thank you.  When you said, ‘maybe if you kick and scream loud enough’, I got the idea to talk to the Dean of our school!  I won’t get into the technical details, but long story short—the Dean can’t afford to lose me to another school, so he caved in to my demands and I got what I wanted.”

“Told you only the smartest kid could come up with a plan like that,” Louis shook his head, grinning.

“Only me,” Niall grinned back.  “Once all the seniors move out, I get to move in and choose my roommates!  So, whaddya say, guys?”

“To what?” Liam and Louis said simultaneously.

“I was going to ask you before we came back from break, but since you’re already here—I want you guys to come live at the house with me!  Zayn’s already on board!”

“Already claimed my room, too,” Zayn added, flashing his goofy grin.  “No more knocking on your doors in the middle of the night!”

Liam held up a finger and took Louis aside, asking if they should accept Niall’s offer.  “Should we do it?  I mean, I kind of like living in Whitforde Hall.  And I don’t want to leave Josh by himself.”

“Liam, as nice as that place is, don’t you get a little tired of having to pick up after a bunch of people we don’t even know?  Or dealing with drunk people in the hallways?  Besides, this is an actual house, not a tiny little room!  Think of the possibilities.”

“We’ll have our own bedroom, won’t we?  And we can make as much noise as we want,” Liam quietly said to himself, excited.  Louis bounced on his feet, on the verge of whining if Liam didn’t make up his mind then and there.  “Niall!” Liam shouted, his eyes focused on Louis, “Looks like you’ve got yourself two new roommates.”

“Fuck yes!” Niall cheered, wiggling in his donut.  “Oh, and I heard you mention Josh.  I sent a note to housing to make sure he gets a room in Hugo Hall next semester.  Dude’s gonna be livin’ the high life!”

Liam let out a sigh of relief, resting his head on Louis’ shoulder.

“Now, come on!” Niall yelled, waving at the couple to join him.  “We’ve got pink Kool-Aid, my hair metal playlist, and a pool all to ourselves for the next three hours!” Niall lowered his sunglasses back onto his face, turning serious.  “It’s Miller Time, dudes.  To the newest tenants of Decuyper House!” he shouted, toasting his plastic martini glass with Zayn’s goblet.

Liam and Louis quickly stripped to their underwear, holding hands when they reached the edge of the pool. Louis grinned at Liam who gave him a kiss, laughing when Niall and Zayn began shouting, "Liam loves Louis! Louis loves Liam!" to their embarrassment.

“Ready for your first summer of sin with me, Liam?”

“Louis, there’s no one else I’d spend it with.”

++++++

**Some Time Later**

Niall is over the moon.  He’s just come back from the administrative office, overexcited about a new student that’s transferred to the school.  Liam does his best to calm down his friend, trying to get him to form a coherent sentence.  Niall unfolds a piece of paper from the pocket of his hoodie and shows Liam the note he'd written just minutes before.

_Effective immediately!_  
 _Please transfer new student, Harry Styles, from Whitforde Hall to Decuyper House._  
 _–NH_

“Honestly, Niall, the way you talked about him made me think you’d met your favorite singer, not our new roommate,” Liam laughs, holding Niall by the shoulders.

“I’m just really excited,” Niall bounces in place, rubbing his cheeks.  “All I know so far is that he’s in the design program, he’s got the hair you used to have before you buzzed it all off, and he’s really tall.  But I mean, looks aside, I know he’ll fit right in with us.”

“And you’re _absolutely_ sure about this move,” Liam says, a little skeptical.  “It’s only been the four of us for so long, do you really think we can handle one more?”

“Too many people have been begging us to let them live at the house, even bribed us!  But this one— _this Harry_ ,” Niall emphasizes, “he’s going to shake things up.”

“He’s definitely got you shaking yourself up,” Liam jokes, but Niall snorts and chases after the soccer ball Liam had accidentally taken with him from his previous class.  Niall lets out a yelp when he loses the ball and cackles when he nearly falls over.  Liam notices a tall student walking near the courtyard, stopping to look right in their direction.

“Hey, is that him over there?” Liam asks, cocking his head off to the side. "Wow, he really _does_ have my old hair! Amazing!"

Niall runs around Liam with the soccer ball, and lets out a little squeak.  “Yup, that's Harry all right! Tall, lanky, limber Harry,” Niall sighs deeply.

“Look at you having a crush on someone!  This is really a first,” Liam laughs in surprise.

"Shut up! I just think he's interesting," Niall scoffs, clearly blushing when Liam glares at him.

Liam’s phone goes off with a text from Louis ( _met the new guy with Zayn! almost thought it was you for a sec he had your old lion’s mane haha_ ) and shows the message to Niall.

“Right on schedule!” Niall exclaims, looking at his watch.  “I want to do something nice for Harry, like a welcome dinner so he feels comfortable.  D’you think we could get Louis to bring some food from the kitchen?”

“Going the extra mile to get him to notice you, you little sap,” Liam pushes Niall away in jest.  “Anyway, I’ll ask, but I can’t make any promises.”

“Thanks, man,” Niall grins, his teeth now rid of the metal braces he wore for two years.  “I better get back to the house. Gotta clean up our room before Harry gets back.  See ya, Liam!”

Niall runs off and Liam picks up the abandoned soccer ball, tucking it under his arm.  Phone in hand, Liam inhales the end of summer air, and immediately calls the only person in his contacts list with sparkling heart emojis between each letter of his name.

“Talk to me, Liam.”

“Louis, you’ll never guess what Niall’s got himself into.”


End file.
